The school year is off to a great start! The children have had a smooth transition into their new classrooms and for many, into their new school as well. The teachers are having so much fun getting to know each and every one of them through home visits and classroom interactions. I’ve been able to spend time in each of the classrooms and have enjoyed all the conversations with your little ones.

The days are flying by with all of our special activities in full swing. Thank you to Heather Gaudio for hosting the Parent Social at your gallery, Heather Gaudio Fine Art in New Canaan. It was also great to see so many of our families at the Fall Family Fun Day. Watching the children be pirates and mermaids was so much fun and they all enjoyed searching for sea shells, bobbing for donuts and decorating pumpkins. Miss Joanne was back to teach music and Miss Andrea from the Wilton Library paid us a visit. October will be full of more excitement when the Wilton Fire Department stops by with the fire truck, yoga begins, and everyone participates in our ever-so-popular Halloween Parades.

On top of all these activities, the Afternoon Adventures have been crowd pleasers, so be sure to sign-up as soon as possible to guarantee a spot. This week the children played some games on the SmartBoard on Monday and learned counting and songs in Spanish on Tuesday. Wednesday was fun as they explored the variety of buildings at the school and talked about the designs of each including materials used, shapes they could see and number of doors and windows. On Thursday, the crew cooked up some delicious fruit kabobs and on Friday, the children enjoyed both extra time in the movement room and the beautiful weather on the playground. The rock wall is definitely a workout for the children and the basketball game was super enjoyable (of course the children beat the teachers!).

I’m looking forward to everyone falling into the fun and festivities of this month!

Open House*Please join us for our annual Open House on Tuesday, October 3 at 7:30 pm. We will begin the evening with light refreshments in the Zion’s Hill foyer. Parents are then invited to visit their child’s classroom and meet with the teachers. Learn about the curriculum and the special activities and events planned for the school year. This is a great opportunity to get to know our dedicated staff and meet other parents.

Please join us immediately following the Open House for a Parents Night Out at Craft 14 Kitchen + Bar, located at 5 River Road in Wilton.

Parenting Workshop

Please join us for a workshop on “Discipline and Consistent Parenting” led by Susan Reichman O’Brien, a licensed clinical social worker with 25 years of experience. She will teach strategies for getting your child to pay attention, and explore techniques for dealing with tantrums and whining. Come learn the “5 Family Rules” that will help restore harmony in your home and end power struggles. The workshop will take place at Zion’s Hill on Wednesday, October 25 at 9:15 am.

Fundraising

Annual AppealEvery year Zion’s Hill Preschool Program holds fundraisers to support the continued operations and improvement of the school. Our Annual Appeal is held in the fall, and Spring Fling is held in the spring. Tax-deductible gifts to these fundraisers enable us to maintain and enhance our curriculum and upgrade our classroom materials and facilities.

We will be kicking off our Annual Appeal in October. Please be on the look-out for additional information in your mailbox. If you have any questions, please contact the Board Co-Chairs Heather Bravi at heather.bravi@gmail.com or Melissa Leonard at mwalker521@gmail.com. We look forward to your participation and thank you in advance for your consideration!

Fall Family Photos with Xenia Gross

Wilton photographer and former ZHPP mom, Xenia Gross, is donating her time and talent to benefit Zion’s Hill. Xenia is offering a 20-minute photo session at Cranbury Park, and one high resolution digital negative of your choice in exchange for a $100 donation to Zion’s Hill. Dates are October 21 and 22 from 9:00 am-6:00 pm. For more information and to book sessions, please click here.

Special Programs

Wilton Fire Department Visit The Wilton Fire Trucks and Firefighters will be visiting on Wednesday, October 18, and Thursday, October 19. The children will have the opportunity to learn all about firefighting, meet the firefighters and climb aboard the trucks for exploration.

Gather together for the Eighth Annual Fall Parent Social at the Ambler Farm Carriage Barn. Following past years’ traditions, there will be delicious food, wine, music and our chili and pie contests. So pull out that cookbook filled with your favorite recipes, and start looking forward to another fabulous party!

Please respond via the upcoming Evite if you plan to attend.

Featured Family: The Barrs

On October 28, ZHPP dad Gary Barr will be embarking on a 100-mile, 24-hour run from the Catskills to Ridgefield, CT, to raise awareness about stillbirth for his non-profit, Anchors For Hope.In 2014, Laura and Gary Barr were devastated when without warning and for no apparent reason, they lost their son Henry to stillbirth at 39 weeks gestation. Though it was a long road of grieving and eventually healing, they always knew they wanted to make a difference in others’ lives in Henry’s honor. On December 22, 2015, what would have been his first birthday, they founded Anchors For Hope with the mission to raise awareness about stillbirth and to support bereaved parents affected by both pregnancy and infant loss.

Last year, Gary did his first run in Henry’s honor – he ran 222 miles from Washington DC to New York City in just 10 days. Of the run, Gary says “It was my way of doing something for Henry. I was able to process my grief and find healing through the many months of training, time spent alone to reflect, and raising awareness and funds to support our Hope & Healing Retreat ambitions. And the love and support we received from others was so encouraging and honestly kept me going.”

In addition to being hugely healing and a way to raise awareness, they also raised $15,000 for their charity. The money is being used primarily for the support side of their mission – to help fund retreats and workshops for bereaved parents. In August, Laura hosted the first ever Hope & Healing Retreat with the goal of helping bereaved moms who have lost babies to find their tribe, honor their child and heal a little bit of their heart. It was a huge success and two more are being planned for next year.

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. Each year in the U.S., 26,000 babies are lost to the devastation of stillbirth. To learn more about the Barr’s organization, donate, or get in touch, go to www.anchorsforhope.org.

Important Notes

Board of Directors

There are still a few spots remaining on the Board of Directors for the 2017-2018 academic year. We invite you to consider volunteering for a position and support the school that gives so much to our children. Please contact the Board Co-Chairs Melissa Leonard (mwalker521@gmail.com) or Heather Bravi (heather.bravi@gmail.com) with any questions.

ZHPP Communications

Please be sure to check all of your email folders for mail from ZHPP. You should be receiving emails from Tadpoles, Constant Contact and Evite that include important information about school events and news. We have learned that some of these emails are going to spam, trash and promotional categories instead of the inbox. If you are not receiving emails, please notify the office.

Safety Reminder

We welcome the children to play outside after school and ask that you please use the playgrounds. Please do not allow children to run near the parking lot at pick-up.

Additional Reminders

Please kindly park in one of the designated parking spots and not the bend of the parking lot unless all spaces are full. This makes it difficult for larger vehicles to make the turn.

When signing in, please indicate the first and last name of the person who will be picking up.

Pick up time is 12:30 pm for our core program and 3:00 pm for Afternoon Adventures and Extensions.

Please send a healthy lunch containing 2-3 items including one protein. It is a ZHPP practice to not serve candy during our lunch period.

Afternoon Adventures and Extensions

Our extended day programs are offered on a drop-in or contract basis. If you are interested in contracting for either a semester or the full year, please stop by the office to complete a registration form. There is a 2.5% savings over the drop in rate for semester contracts and a 5% savings for a full year contract.

Forms Due

If you have not done so already, please remember to turn in the following forms to the office: (1) signed acknowledgement page from the back of your handbook, (2) photo permission form and (3) discipline form. Thank you.

About Us

Zion's Hill Preschool's teachers have degrees in early childhood education and development, and the Board is controlled by parents.

In partnership with family and community, we provide a secure, developmentally appropriate, and nurturing setting promoting each child’s unique ability to reach their social, intellectual, and academic potential.

Zion’s Hill Preschool Program admits students of any race, color, religion and national or ethnic origin.